Category: Planning

With today being Halloween, I thought I would introduce everyone to the killer from Detective 139. This will be my first time writing a character like this so bear with me and expect change. Also, remember that while reading the NaNoWriMo that most of this will be unknown to Detective Lincoln Thomas. Without further ado, let’s meet Jarson Pike, The Limb Stealer.

Jarson has spent the last four years living in a cabin in the woods of the Snoqualmie Pass. The cabin is remote enough to not be bothered but close enough to everywhere that it wasn’t overly suspicious. On the outside, the cabin appears to a passerby as worn down and his truck matched the appearance, an old Ford pick-up truck. Red in color with rust here and there. The appearance of both was just a facade.

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This one took me a while because I find writing a long summary one of the hardest parts of starting a new piece. I do fine with the very short summaries but once it starts to get to a page or more I find it challenging.

Writing the four-page summary is like giving your book a more detailed outline. I have a problem with this because it disconnects me from how I am actually going to write the piece I am working on. The reason it has taken me so long to put this summary to paper is that I believe in letting it work itself out. If I force it to come out it isn’t natural. As is I don’t feel like this summary is 100% natural, maybe 98% or so.

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The main focus of the snowflake method is to develop your plot, but character development is equally as important. For some writers, it is even more important. I found that while the first few steps of the snowflake method help me to start draft ideas, it isn’t until I get to the character development stages that my novel starts to take most of its shape. This is because I am very character driven.

Character development starts in step three of the snowflake method but in step five really starts to take its form. I use a Character Development Sheet to help me start to fledge out my characters. Feel free to check it out and use it for your own writing.

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There are many articles on the snowflake method for novel writing but most of them seem to lack examples and some of the top results on Google (here, here, and here) are advertisements for software or books. I wanted to offer a blog post that provided valuable advice with an example of a novel that I am drafting and will use for other purposes on my blog.

Why Would I Use The Snowflake Method?

You might be asking what makes the snowflake method useful. The answer is very simple. I am using it because it allows you to explore your story.

If you want a solid plot the snowflake method allows you to work on the plot step by step, starting out with the most basic aspect and expanding from there. That will allow you to discover most plot problems before you start writing.

Also, right now I have had a lot of writers block. The snowflake method helps you to develop your story and get past writer’s block by forcing you to think about your story on your own terms.